If we long to have (more) spiritual sight and insights, we must be prepared that God will take us through many, many severe sufferings. Who wants this? Surely, our old nature hates suffering. And this is why God takes us through these things. He knows that our new spiritual nature that is opposed to the flesh will finally come out victoriously. Below I offer you an excerpt from T. Austin Sparks’ writings that deals with the topic I have just touched on. Sparks described here the cause of spiritual blindness that both springs from our old nature and Satan’s work in our soul.

A word or two about the cause. “The god of this age hath blinded.” There are two things in that phrase. Firstly, this blindness is not, after all, only natural, it is supernatural. It is not to say everything to say that nature is a blind realm. No, there is something very much more sinister than that about this blindness. It is supernatural blindness, but it is evilly supernatural blindness. It is the work of the Devil. That is why, on the one hand, spiritual sight-giving is always fraught with such terrible conflict. No one ever really does come to see by the Spirit and understand without a fight, without a price having to be paid, without a terrible amount of suffering. Every bit of real spiritual illumination and enlightenment is a costly thing. For it Paul had to be much on his knees where the saints were concerned. “I bow my knees”; I pray “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him” (Eph. 1:17). It is something which has to be prayed through, and it is not without significance that prayer in the letter to the Ephesians comes so much in association with what is revealed in chapter 6: “our wrestling… is against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenlies. Wherefore take up the whole armour of God” – this and that and that – “…with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:12-18). “This darkness” – “praying always”: “I pray that He… may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him”. You see, it is all of a piece. The explanation lies here, in “the god of this age”. We are up against something supernatural in this spiritual blindness. We are right up against the whole cosmic forces of evil, all those intelligences operating to keep people in blindness.

It is no small thing to have true spiritual sight. It represents a mighty victory. It is not going to come to you by just sitting passively and opening your mouths for it to arrive. There has to be exercise about this matter. You are right up against the full force of the god of this age when you are really out for spiritual understanding. It is a supernatural battle. So, every bit of ministry that is going to be a ministry of true revelation will be surrounded by conflict. Conflict will go before, conflict will go on at the time, and conflict may follow after. It is like that.

[…]

If we did but know it, a very great deal of the conflict which arises in our lives is because God is seeking to bring us further on the road, to open our eyes to Himself, to bring us into the light of His Son. God is seeking to broaden our spiritual horizon, and the enemy is out against that, and he is not going to have it if he can help it. Conflict arises. We may not understand it, but very, very often, more often than not, it is just that, namely, that the Lord is after something, and Satan says, They shall not see that if I can help it! So there arises a mighty warfare. This blindness is supernatural, just as enlightenment is supernatural.

“The god of this age”! That designation may mean more than just a period in time. It may mean all of time, because Satan gained kingship over man right at the beginning. That is what he was after, to take the place of God and to get the worth-ship of man’s life; to be god, to be worshipped; which simply means to take what man has of worth to himself. God made man with a view to his being a vehicle of bringing something to God for God’s pleasure and glory, something worthy of God, that God should have a worth-ship out of man, and Satan said: I am going to have that worth-ship; God has something vested in that creation, something He is going to get for Himself; I am going to have it! So the whole of what took place in the Garden was Satan’s way of supplanting God in man’s heart, in man’s mind, and getting from man that which was God’s right – the worship. Thus, by man’s consent and fall, Satan gained godship in this world, and has held it ever since. “This age” just means the course of this world. “The god of this age”!

Now, the greatest peril to Satan’s godship is spiritual illumination. He will not hold that ground long once your eyes are opened. Oh, once a heart is enlightened, Satan’s power is at once broken. So, the Lord, consistently with that fact, said to Paul on the Damascus road – “…to whom I send thee, to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God” (Acts 26:17-18). The two things go together: From darkness to light; from the power of Satan unto God. I repeat that the greatest menace and peril to Satan and his position is spiritual illumination. Hence, he must find ground on which to perpetuate and maintain his position, his godship, in this age. And what ground will satisfy him in that matter? The answer is, the ground of nature. You get on to the ground of nature and you have given Satan right of possession. Every time we do that, Satan’s hold is strengthened.

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14 thoughts on ““I see!” – Receiving Supernatural Spiritual Sight”

Wow what Sparks says is rough but I know from experience that he is correct—I am a person of the Way and I most surely do believe in His Spirit illumination and the cost of it—I am in need of it right now in dealing with some situations and oh boy I can see that I had better pray devoutly and be alert for what may transpire–Thanks for the article and may I be prepared–Bless You SUE!

Yes, TAS sounds here pretty rough to me as well, yet it has been the truth since it describes my experiences, too. Our God does not take trial and conflict away, instead, He offers to put and pull us through while comforting our hearts that suffer according to His will.

Thank you Sue for your praying for me I do covet that ( situation number one worked out very well ) As for situation # 2 that is ongoing–Its about me finding a job so I seek for your continuing prayers on that deal –Thanks.

“Spiritual Sight” is one of the best books by Sparks that I have ever read for it gets right to the heart of the struggle we are in with the god of this age and what motivates him as he appeals to our flesh. I would like to include in this thread three more paragraphs at the end to the chapter from which you quoted, Susanne…

Then what is the object? We are taken back to some dateless time when in the counsels of the Godhead the Son was appointed heir of all things. He Who was co-equal with God was put in the way of inheriting all things. When that was known in heaven, there was one in the angelic hosts in whose heart iniquity was found. That iniquity was the pride of desiring that equality and aspiring to that inheritance. His heart was lifted up, and he said, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God… I will be like the Most High” (Isa. 14:12-14; Eze. 28:11-19), in the saying of which he uncovered his jealousy of God’s Son; and out from that iniquity of his heart, that pride, that jealousy of his heart, he lost his place there, and he has come down and pursued his course of animosity all through the ages, that men shall never see the Son if he can help it. That the light of the glory of Christ should not dawn upon them, he has darkened and blinded them. It is to exclude the Son.

That surely signifies something immense where Christ is concerned, if Satan, with all his great intelligence and understanding, recognises that, if men see that Son, it is the greatest thing that ever could happen. Everything of God’s intention is bound up with that. All God’s great purpose in the creation of this world, and this universe, hangs upon that. It is all vested in the Son, and if men see the Son, then God reaches His end and realises His purpose. Satan says, That must not be, they must not see the Son! The god of this age hath blinded their minds, lest the light of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God, should dawn upon them.

What a thing it is to see the Son then! I cannot stay now with that immense matter. But let us finish on this note: What a tremendous shout will go up throughout the universe when at last we see Him face to face, when there is no more darkening veil at all in any degree. God has His end then; the Son appears, the Son is seen. When we see Him, “we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him even as He is” (1 John 3:2). That is what God made us for: “fore-ordained to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29). But oh, seeing now and seeing evermore unto the perfect day is necessary, for it is as we behold that we are changed into that image.

We have been purchased by Jesus with His blood and Satan hates Him and everyone that He has claimed unto Himself before the Father. Our enemy is the epitome of the meaning of jealousy. He wants all that belongs to Christ. He has been a liar and a murder from the beginning. We are in a war and the more we kowtow to our flesh and its weaknesses (which are in league with him), the more we become causalities of that war. Casting our spiritual gaze upon Jesus is our strong defense from the enemy of our souls. Looking unto Him for all we need in this battle and not letting ourselves be distracted by the titillating things of this world is key.

We are in a war and the more we kowtow to our flesh and its weaknesses (which are in league with him), the more we become causalities of that war. Casting our spiritual gaze upon Jesus is our strong defense from the enemy of our souls. Looking unto Him for all we need in this battle and not letting ourselves be distracted by the titillating things of this world is key.

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:)Thank you Susanne for a timely and illuminating post! Awesome! I had not seen the conflict and the suffering attending the conflict in this way before. Wow!

ALL that you wrote and quoted spoke so clearly to me. In particular I was very encouraged when you said:
(QUOTE) “Surely, our old nature hates suffering. And this is why God takes us through these things. He knows that our new spiritual nature that is opposed to the flesh will finally come out victoriously”.

WOW- I needed to hear that! The end IS victory over the old nature and we ARE being conformed to the image of our wonderful Lord! though if you were to ask me I would not have “seen” that there is any progress to that end – lately anyway.
I have been agonizing over the “ME” still acting out and asking the Lord will I ever look like HIM?! I hear the answer from the Spirit in what you shared.

Then I really needed the reminder of what the RESULT of our conflict and suffering to receive spiritual illumination involves. So apparent why the enemy seeks to hold some “place” in us.(see below quote- Jn 14:30)

(TAS) “Now, the greatest peril to Satan’s godship is spiritual illumination. He will not hold that ground long once your eyes are opened. Oh, once a heart is enlightened, Satan’s power is at once broken. So, the Lord, consistently with that fact, said to Paul on the Damascus road – “…to whom I send thee, to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God” (Acts 26:17-18). The two things go together: From darkness to light; from the power of Satan unto God. I repeat that the greatest menace and peril to Satan and his position is spiritual illumination. Hence, he must find ground on which to perpetuate and maintain his position, his godship, in this age. And what ground will satisfy him in that matter? The answer is, the ground of nature. You get on to the ground of nature and you have given Satan right of possession. Every time we do that, Satan’s hold is strengthened.”

John 14:30Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
” I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]”

***I pray to be able to say that the ground of nature in me is no longer open for Satan to possess because it is dead on the cross with Christ. That I obediently followed Jesus all the way…and now I am living – by faith in Him – on the resurrection side.

(TAS)”That surely signifies something immense where Christ is concerned, if Satan, with all his great intelligence and understanding, recognizes that, if men see that Son, it is the greatest thing that ever could happen. Everything of God’s intention is bound up with that. All God’s great purpose in the creation of this world, and this universe, hangs upon that. It is all vested in the Son, and if men see the Son, then God reaches His end and realizes His purpose”

I add the scriptures that came to mind as I read and thought on this-so many more came but here are just a few 🙂
Luke 4:17-19(AMPC)
“And there was handed to Him [the roll of] the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened (unrolled) the book and found the place where it was written,
The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives
AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, (my caps)
to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity],
To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day [l]when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound].”

John 8:12 (AMPC)
Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life.

At King Jesus’ return:
Revelations1:7 (AMPC)
“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, AND EVERY EYE SHALL SEE HIM (caps mine), even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth shall gaze upon Him and beat their breasts and mourn and lament over Him. Even so [must it be]. Amen (so be it).”

But for we who believe:
(TAS): “When we see Him, “we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him even as He is” (1 John 3:2). That is what God made us for: “fore-ordained to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29).

You are welcome, Judi. I was glad to hear that you could glean something from this post. These verses from Luke ch. 4 make a lot of sense to me. Our Lord really came to heal our natural blindness. Excellent Scriptures and quotes! 🏆🏆🏆

“Amen, Susanne. The suffering, the brokenness in our life, brings a new appreciation of Christ, a greater knowledge of Him. We know Him, we love Him to a greater extent. How glorious and wonderful this is. But how does God’s chisel hurt!”

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“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
(John 3:16-17 ESV)

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